The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-05-18
ple must read it; it will live ; It cannot

pie must reau III III VIII i'o ~ o"hh"'
dle!n
tionable whether6its intrinsic merit
would have saved it efrom a listing
silence on the ldhelW shore. There,
with the other debris, washed mp, oy
restless waves, il Would have persisted,
valueless wait, along with the pulpy
Jelly fish around il.
But to the analysis: You plead the
pressure Of official duty as an excuse
for not taking an active part i'll the
popular discussion, butyou sec no i'm
propriety in using your pen. The
people will hardly recognize your dis
tinctions Whatever improperly at
taches to one attaches to the other.
But you say there is no improperly in
telling how you will vote when ques-
toned. But allow me to say that your
communication does not stop at the
announcement of your vote. Two
columns are hardly necessary for such
n statement. You go far beyond this
and enter fully and squarely into the
discussion of the whole matter. Your
right to enter this field is fully con-
coded by this scribe. Some people
may, indeed, question the propriety OF
it, but as tastes differ we let that pass.
Omitting any present reference to
your preliminary observations, your
objections to the amendment, when
boiled down, are substantially these
l. For fifty years Texas has pros
pered without this amendment, there
fore it is unwise to adopt it.
3 There are shades of evil in the
picture of the fifty years retrospect
cast by the abuses of the liquor traffic,
but there are only such evils and inn
projections as cling TO all the works
of man, therefore they are remediless
by legislation. What is crooked cali
not be made straight.
3. The laws, as they exist, are as
competent to deal with these abuses as
with other abuses.
4. These liquor evils are not sutli-
cient 10 make a "preteXt for innova-
tons against Democratic policy"
5. Anti-prohibition Texas is ahead
in material and moral developments of
prohibition States. and freer from
pauperism and crime.
6. Internal revenue reports show
that in Maine, Kansas and Iowa that
liquor is still made and sold, and the
people Of these States are robbed of
legitimate revenue. Therefore it is
unwise for Texas to rob itself Of n
million of revenue in order to pro-
mote the clandestine traffic.
z. Without this revenue we cannot
keep the government and tho schools
running, except by largely increased
taxation, which the people cannot
bear.
8. You deny that the suppression of
the traffic will appreciably reducecrime
or the expenses for prosecuting crime.
8. You then make an appeal to the
Holy Scriptures to substantiate your
position.
10. FINALLY, you refer to the dis
memberment of the Democratic party
rs political parricide which ought to
be considered as in Solon's law, an inn
possible crime, and only on this ac-
count unaccompanied with condign
penalty.
Such, fairly stated, and more strong
ly stated than in your paper is your
decalogue.
Some men will wonder why you did
not make the Holy Scriptures your
climax. Why as it succeeded i'll the
ascending graduation of importance,
the preceding reasons it was in turn
succeeded and overshadowed by that
higher and more sacred reason, the
preservation of the Democratic party.
You seem willing to concede the pos
sibility of mutilating, Remembering
and disobcying that Holy book, and
heDoe, the wisdom of penalties for
such violations OF mere divine law, but
20 mutilate or dismember the Demo
cratic party is in your sight crime SO
iuconceivable that an adequate pun
ishment could not be named. | say,
some will wonder at your collocation.
While others, in their stupidity, will
wonder, why by your recommends
ton and approval you made this aw-
full crime possible. II, as you allege,
the legislature submitted this ones
ton to a fair vote ofthe people in the
fairest mode in which IL could be done,
that is as an isolated issue unenoum-
bcred with other questions. that there
might be fair expression of the pop
ular will upon it," then why do you
now, you the governor who recon-
mended and approved the measure,
now writing and dating from the Ex-
ecutive office, complicate the issue and
cucumber il with other questionslWhy
do you seek TO thwart the legislative
will. which refused TO connect this
with the general elections that 1t might
be isolated from party politics. ] say
why DO you now against thep published